From a test subject to a huntsman
by LittleA-A-Ron
Summary: Xanh, who was once a child trapped in a facility trained to become a soldier in an army aiming towards world domination, is now living as a normal civilian inside Vale. However, all of that changes when he receives an acceptance letter from Beacon Academy's headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Now at beacon, he will meet many students, some of whom will be his allies.
1. Chapter 1

** Hey everyone! This is my second fic. Sorry If it's too long and boring, I kinda felt like I rushed on this one a bit… anyway, please review! You can be harsh in your reviews if you want; it'll help me become a better writer ****. BTW this is another OC story, so yyyeeeeaahhhhhh….enjoy! All RWBY property belongs to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth, I own nothing except for my OC's.**

Memories

"Wow, this is Beacon Academy?"

I looked outside of the plane's windows with my face resting on my palm and saw the school, which looked like a huge, and I mean HUGE castle, or cathedral. As I looked further down to get a better look at the school, I couldn't help but notice a black number under my sleeve tattooed on the lower back of my arm, which had a number 3 and my codename tattooed to it. "_I can't believe that it has been that long since IT happened…"_ I thought, looking at the 3. All of a sudden, a rush of memories entered my head. Some of those memories were ones that I didn't like to remember, but I remembered them anyway, as they were what made me who I am now.

* * *

(14 Years Ago)

_It was during this time that I acquired the ability of memory, and every event before that was just a blur to me. Therefore, my memories start from here and onward._

"HEY! SUBJECT THREE! GET UP YOU RUNT! IT'S TIME FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE EXERCISE!"

My name is Subject#3 and my codename is BLU. I am four years old, male, and born on January 1. I awoke to the loud call of the guard, and got up slowly, eyes still squinting from the lack of sleep. I slowly got out of my cell and walked toward the "Knowledge Room".

"*SWAK!* *SWIP!* MOVE FASTER! YOUR EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP ARE OVER! MOVE OR YOU'LL BE WHIPPED TEN TIMES HARDER!" the guard yelled.

With each hit, I felt the whip dig into my skin. It was painful, but I didn't cry because if I did, I would only be whipped more, so I just sucked up the pain and ran to the room with the guard on my tail and took a seat on my desk labeled SUBJECT #3.

"Now that's better! I'd like to see more of this from now on three, you little squinty-eyed piece of crap!" the guard then left the room, but not before spitting on my desk. Seconds later, all of the other subjects, who were fauna, which were people with animalistic traits and more physically capable than humans, were dragged into the room either by their hair, their ears, or their tails. Despite being dragged, only a few cried out in pain, for they knew the consequences of doing so, like me. Those who yelled were either beaten or whipped until they were silenced, which could mean only two things: either they died or they just stopped crying. Most of the time, I hoped it was the latter despite not knowing the people here. The way that the scientists in this… this…_prison_ handled the corpses haunted me, and all subjects were forced to witness such a grueling sight which I refuse to describe. Looking around, I noticed that all of the subjects had animalistic traits. All of them either had horns or ears on their head, or maybe even a tail. "_I see, I'm the only human here, but why me?" _I thought.

In the knowledge room, classes were seven to eight hours long with only one lunch break which was only thirty minutes. The food was always the same: stale bread with milk and water. There were many teachers in the knowledge room, each of which taught a particular subject. To my understanding, it was mandatory for subjects that were four to five years old to learn things that normal people would learn in eighth grade or so. Despite being young, we understood everything. After our lesson, the teachers always said the same thing.

"Alright, you filthy subjects. The lessons are now over. We've said this many times before, but just to keep it in those tiny brains of yours, we'll say it again. You were brought here to the 'Kamino Research Facility' to be trained to be more advanced than normal people physically, and mentally. We realized that you all are not like the others. You hold some hidden abilities that we don't know of, but will dig out of you soon enough. That's why you were trained to become soldiers in an army that we will create and you will use your abilities as soldiers to destroy those who dare stand against our goal of world domination! You all might be asking why we are telling you this right now, and here's your answer: although we are well known to the public, the public doesn't know that we conduct these experiments. On the outside, we're are a fifteen story building full of scientists developing new ways to generate energy for longer use, but on the inside, we're conducting experiments on you to create the ultimate human weapons! Oh, even if you tried to run away, you will never succeed. Your puny bodies don't have enough strength to break through your cells, and by the time you are strong enough, we have strong bodyguards that will kill you and we use your DNA to create physical clones of yourselves and once they are successfully cloned, we will implant them with with minds that obey our orders without question!"

Upon hearing those words, I would've run away immediately, but the teachers had a point. I didn't have enough strength to break through those bars. I even was so tired that it took all of my effort to even stand. What made them think I had some hidden ability? I thought I was some average human being. Soon, we were dismissed and all of us heads back to our cells. After sitting down on the cold, hard floor, one of the guards announced our next activity.

"ALRIGHT YOU FILTHY SCUMBAGS, YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO REST UP AND READY YOURSELF FOR YOUR BATTLE EXERCISE!"

That's right. Battle exercise. The one exercise that lasted another eight hours. The exercise that taught subjects hand-to-hand combat, and weapon combat. All subjects learned the same type of hand-to-hand combat, which was a style that taught necessary movements to attack the enemy. I found it efficient as it taught me all the moves required in order to lock or hurt the enemy. There were no fancy or wasted movements, and all subjects were required to practice for at least three hours. After the hand combat practice, were moved on to weapon practice. All subjects had weapons pre-selected for them. For me, the researchers decided to have me train in using the Dual Lightsabers. A lightsaber was a tube-like hilt that projected a brightly lit blade about four to five feet long. Colors of lightsabers varied on the color of the crystals used to project the blade inside the hilts. The color of my sabers were red, which was a color I wasn't particularly fond of. Resembling the educational subjects, each weapon had its own teacher. My teacher was a tall man who wore glasses. If not for his dual personality and personal ideals, he would've been someone that I held in high regard. He was a man who believed that peace would only be achieved through absolute power and control, and deep down I knew that those were ideals that I couldn't agree with, but I never told him. If you asked me about his personality, I would say that he's a wolf in sheep's clothing. One moment he would just chuckle if you messed up, and in another moment he would grab his lightsaber and just slash you.

"ALRIGHT, YOU RUNTS! GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTTS, HEAD INTO THE DRESSING ROOM, GET INTO YOUR COMBAT GEAR!" the guard roared.

Not wanting to be whipped again, I rushed out of my cell and into the dressing room. I removed my dirty robes and quickly got into the Kamino Combat Uniform, which consisted of black combat boots, black pants, a black shirt, and a white over garment with a piece of the garment reaching down to the knees, and bent metal plates that covered parts of the shoulders and hips (kind of like Starkiller's Kamino uniform). After I finished dressing up, I grabbed my lightsabers from the clothes locker and headed to the combat area as did all of the other subjects.

"ALRIGHT! BATTLE EXERCISE HAS STARTED! START PRACTCING YOUR HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT NOW!"

Quickly, I grabbed a wooden dummy and started practicing punching and kicking combinations that I made up.

…

After three hours, the guard blew the whistle and called all subjects to meeting with their masters. I walked toward a tall man wearing glasses and a black, hooded robe with a grin on his face.

"Hello Three, do you have your lightsabers?" He asked.

"Hello, and yes I do." I replied.

"So curt, it's all you can say, huh?"

"_It isn't, but I wouldn't say anything else to you anyway. The only reason why I said hello to you was to avoid a slash from you." _I thought.

"Well anyway, this time, we are going to do something different today. Instead of having you train on dummies, let's test you on something alive."

He walked somewhere unfamiliar to me, and walked out with a huge cage containing an animal that looked somewhat like a bear, but it was black, had bones sticking out of its back, and seemed to be wearing a mask. Smiling, he brought his hands up to one of the bars of the cage.

"This here is a type of Grimm, a creature of destruction. The type of Grimm you see here is an Ursa. I know it looks like a bear, but unlike a bear, an Ursa can walk ton two's and has much more strength than a male bear in its prime. In other words, it has the strength of 100 bears."

My master took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the cage, allowing the Ursa to walk out and reveal its size, which was about 10 feet tall I think. I felt myself shivering from fear, but I held my ground.

"_Show no fear, if you do, master will end you."_ I thought to myself. I grabbed both of my hilts, pressed the buttons allowing two long, brightly lit red blades to emerge from the hilts.

"Alright Three, your test is to defeat this Ursa without causing such a mess around the lab." He said.

"What if I fail to kill it, and it makes a mess?" I asked.

My master just smiled, "Oh, I just declare you incapable of being my student and dispose of you of course."

"_So it's a fight to survive thing?" _I thought.

"Ready, Start!"

Immediately, the Ursa slammed both of its fists to the ground causing it to shake and lose my balance.

"Ugh, darn it…" I muttered, getting up. I circled around the Ursa, doing everything I could to make myself out of its sight. When I was directly behind it, I jumped as it slammed its fists again. After that, I jumped on its back and ran toward the neck. Pointing both of my sabers down, I stabbed it in the neck, causing it to roar and swing its head madly, causing me to swing around with it, but I held on to my sabers. After about 10 seconds, the Ursa finally fell to the ground. Breathing heavily, I slowly withdrew my sabers and walked off its neck.

*Clap, Clap*

"Bravo Three, you killed it without causing as much of a mess as I though you would. You know, you're the best four year-old student I know so far. From now on, there will be more tests like this. You're done early for the day, change back and get back into your cell. Tomorrow's a big day!"

I just sighed as I headed back to the dressing room, "What do you mean I'm the best four year old student you know? I'm the ONLY student you know!" I muttered, under my breath.

* * *

(6 Years Later)

Things haven't really changed since then. Master made tests against different Grimm creatures more frequently. With each day becoming more and more tiring, I had almost given up hope on trying to escape from the lab… until it happened.

"LUNCH!" The guard threw a plate of stale bread right into my cell. I could barely move. Past tests against Grimm creatures slowly wore me out, and the plate of food was just too far away. Just as I slowly raised my hands, I looked at the plate of food and saw that it was…floating? I blinked once, twice, three times, and it was still levitating. For a moment I sat there. I looked at my hands, and then the plate. Then, as I relaxed my hands, the plate fell.

"What in the…" I said.

Focusing on the plate, I once more lifted my hands, and it happened again. The plate started to float. As I moved my hands up, down, left, right, so did the plate. Luckily, the guards were far away from my cell and didn't notice me. Just then, I heard a whisper

"Whoa, how did you do that?"

I looked to my right, and saw a male faunus with a tail and ears of a tiger staring at me through his cell. I stared at him in surprise for a while. Was a fellow subject really talking to me right now?

"I… don't know. It just happened…" I whispered.

"Hey, I'm Subject#4, Codename is GRA, born on January 16, trained in the arts of the 'Hidden Blade'. So, who are you?" He asked.

"I'm Subject#3, Codename is BLU, trained in the arts of the 'Lightsaber', and I'm just 15 days older than you." I replied.

"Tell me something… have you ever thought of escaping here?"

Where was he going with this? Did he have a plan of escape?

"Well… sometimes… why?" I asked.

"Well, I'm sick of staying here, and after seeing you do that, I was thinking of getting your help so we both can escape here. I'm glad I'm not the only one who wants to escape. All of the other subjects won't even talk to me. You want to escape too, right?" He said.

I thought about it for a bit.

"_I don't want to stay here either, but I can only move objects without touching them. What can he expect me to do with that?" _I thought_._

"So… how can I help?" I asked.

He rubbed his chin for a moment. "Well, you can try using your ability to bend the bars to my cell. Let me hold on to the bars to see if it's working."

I took on his suggestion and stood about 5 feet away from the bars. Then, I put my hands and arms into a position suitable for pulling bars apart and started to pull.

"Hrrrrggggghhhh…!"

After about 2 minutes of trying and no results, I sat back down, exhausted. GRA tapped his chin while examining that bars.

"Hmmm…I felt it being it being pulled, but it's obvious that it's not enough." He said.

"*Huff, Huff* Well… why don't you try pulling it apart? You're a tiger faunus after all, you seem to have the strength…" I said.

"You think I haven't tried? Besides, if it really was breakable by hand I probably would've broken it and escaped already. That's why I asked for your help. Besides, I think it's better not to leave alone."

"Well, what do you suppose we do now?"

"Hmm… how about you try becoming more adept with your newfound ability? I don't even know what my 'Hidden Ability' is, but I'm sure we can escape using your power alone."

"I guess I'll have to practice then…"

"How are you going to do that? The guards are always watching us except during sleep time." He said.

"Exactly. Since they're not watching us during that time, I'll practice."

"You'll need sleep…"

"Well, I'll just practice for about two hours before sleeping. I think I can survive sleeping for six hours."

All of a sudden, the guard yelled, "ALRIGHT SUBJECTS, IT'S TIME FOR COMBAT TRAINING!"

Immediately, we both got out of our cells and headed to the locker room.

"It seems like you're our only hope of escaping…" he whispered.

"Don't worry, I'll get us both out of here." "_I have to"_

* * *

(2 Years Later, January 1)

This was a time of change. For two years, I have practiced using my new ability. Now, I am able to lift and move heavier objects from farther distances, and I also found out that my ability could also allow me to shoot bolts of blue lightning from my fingertips. I was now able to bend the bars of our cells without trying, but I never bent them so far apart for I was afraid for the possibility that my ability would be found out and that I would be executed and cloned right away. The Kamino Combat Uniforms changed as well. The three letters **K.R.F** were printed on them chest area, which was short for "Kamino Research Facility". Originally, GRA's plan was to escape during the night. I thought the plan would work until there was one change in the combat training session.

"Now then subjects, today we will be doing something different. We will be doing an exercise that will prove if your bodies are ready to be in the army or not. What is that exercise, you might ask? Oh, we'll just match fellow subjects against each other and have the fight to the death. The one who survives is deemed ready." said one of the scientists.

I blinked. What!? How could they do that!? Not only is that more than inhumane, it also ruins our plans of escape! What would we do if me and GRA were matched against each other? I crossed my fingers hoping that wouldn't happen. I looked outside my cell, and noticed that all the staff were present; the scientists, teachers, guards, and masters. They looked eager to see the outcomes.

"We'll do this in an orderly fashion. So subjects 1 and 2 will be against each other, 3 and 4, and so on."

I looked to my left and saw that GRA looked pale, which I took as a sign of failure. Blast it, I guess escaping was just a dream. Just then, as I put my head down, I looked at my palms.

"_Wait, we might just be able to escape yet. It's risky, but it's our only hope." _I thought.

"Alright then, now will subjects 1 and 2 please step forward?"

Slowly, one male faunus with bear ears armed with a sword, and a male faunus with horns of an ox armed with a trident walked up to near the scientist and faced each other about 5 feet away.

Not wanting to watch the battle, I tapped on GRA's shoulder to get his attention. Once I saw him looking at me I mouthed the words, "_Don't give up yet, I have a plan."_

"_What is it?" _he mouthed back.

I put my index finger my over my lips, "_Just trust me." _I mouthed.

All of a sudden, I heard gasps from fellow subjects. I looked at the two subjects, and noticed that they lay exactly in the same spot that they were previously standing, their own weapons impaled through their bodies.

_They had killed themselves._

"Well now, that was quick and unexpected. I guess we have no use for them now. While the guards are disposing of the bodies, will subjects 3 and 4 please step forward?"

Armed with our weapons, me and GRA slowly walked near the scientist, standing over puddles of blood. Looking at GRA, I mouthed the words, "_Stay still."_ He nodded.

"Now then, start attacking each other!" the scientist yelled.

"No." I said.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" he yelled again.

"No." I said again. I looked around and noticed the surprise and anger on the faces of all the staff, but I ignored them.

The scientist slowly grabbed a taser and walked toward me, "WELL THEN, I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO DISPOSE OF YOU THEN!"

"NO!" I shouted. I thrust my hands and fingertips toward the scientist, and immediately bolts of blue lightning emerged from my fingertips and made contact with the scientist, shocking him.

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH" he yelled.

I moved my hands around, electrocuting all of the staff. I even saw GRA use his hidden blades to tackle and stab some of them. Quickly, I ran to one of the walls and used my lightsaber to carve an opening big enough for two to run through.

"LET'S GO!" I shouted.

Immediately, I saw all of the subjects escape the lab and head onto the road right after me and GRA. We ran as fast as we could. We didn't know or care where we were running, we just ran wherever the road was leading. Looking back, I saw that none of the subjects were behind us, meaning that all of them went their separate ways or that they had been recaptured. Though, I sincerely hoped it was the former; I might not have known any of them, but that alone doesn't mean that I shouldn't worry, right? Soon, GRA and I reached an intersection on the road.

"*Huff…Huff…Huff…* I...I can't believe it! It's a miracle! We're free, we're finally free!" GRA yelled.

"Oh quiet down, your yelling might give us away…"

"Oh! Right! Hehe…"

I stretched out my arms to get a good feel of the environment around me. The FREE environment that is. As I looked around, I noticed that it was nighttime, and that there were huge buildings, lights suspended from high poles and ones that flashed three colors all around both of us. I also realized that I was tired from all of the running and tried to catch my breath.

GRA patted me on my shoulder, "BLU, I cannot thank you enough… I am forever in your debt."

"Its fine, I'm pretty sure that all of the other subjects wanted to escape of course."

"Now which way do we go? North, South, East, West, where?"

"Let's split up, if we do, it'll make it harder for them to catch us anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright then," as GRA started heading west, he immediately turned around to face me again, "Oh! One more thing, it's the first of January isn't it? Happy Birthday."

I just couldn't help but smile due to the fact he actually remembered the day of my birth even when I forgot it.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it. Happy early birthday to you too." I said.

"Thank you, and may we meet again."

With this, we parted ways. I ran to the east, and GRA ran to the west. I ran nonstop. After a while, I looked back to see if GRA was in sight, but he was long gone. I'm not so sure how far or long I ran but I knew that it was a long time. I looked at my surroundings and realized that I was no longer surrounded by buildings anymore, but by grassland and hills. Soon, I found myself at an entrance to a place that looked like a city of some sorts. I looked the sign near the entrance which read: _WELCOME TO VALE!_

"_I don't know what this Vale is, but it seems like a nice place to take a rest." _I thought.

As I sat down leaning on one of the buildings in the town to catch my breath, I realized that despite being at night, the town was rather lively. However, I realized how tired I was, and soon my head felt light, and my vision turned dark.

* * *

…

"… young man,… up…come on…"

I heard a voice. It sounded like a male's voice, but it was mellow. Who could it be, calling me at this hour?

I tried to open my eyes, and soon found my eyes greeted by bright rays of light.

"Ah, you're awake young man. I was beginning to worry that you had died in your sleep or something."

I squinted my eyes due to the light being so bright. "_Brightness? At the research facility?" _I thought. Then, I remembered. "_No...I'm not at the facility anymore. Where am I again?" _I wasn't able to clearly see the person who awakened me, but based on his voice I could tell that he was an elderly man.

"Ugh… Where am I again? Who are you?" I asked him, while using my arm to shield my eyes.

"You are in the Kingdom of Vale, my boy! My name is Albert Marik, and I'm just a shop owner. Enough about me though, what's your name young man? Why are you here, where are your parents, and what in the world is up with those weird-looking clothes of yours?"

My vision soon became clearer and I soon got to get a better look at the person. Looking at him, I saw that he was light-skinned, wearing brown a hat, had a bent back and was holding a cane. Also, he seemed to be wearing unusual clothes too. Should I trust this person? He sounds kind, but should I keep my guard up? What if he's one of THEM?

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me anything. You also look like you don't have anywhere to go. Come with me, you'll catch a cold if you sit out here. I'll provide you with everything you need." he said.

Reluctantly, I followed him to a small place. As I looked inside, I saw crystals of many different colors and shapes. Albert Marik led me to a room inside the store, which had a bed, a desk, drawers, and some empty bookshelves.

"It's not much, but I'm pretty sure it's better than sleeping on concrete."

The first thing I did was sit down on the bed. It had never felt a bed before, and it was the best feeling that I ever had. So soft in texture. People on the outside must have had an extraordinarily easy time sleeping.

"This is amazing. It's really soft and comfortable here, Mister Albert Marik." I said.

Mister Albert Marik just laughed, "Just call me Albert. Is this the first time you've felt a bed before, young man?"

"Yes it is. This room is also very spacey. The environment is…quite comfortable to what I'm used to. It's quiet and calm."

"Well, stay here as long as you like. It's getting pretty lonely with nobody to talk to nowadays. I could use some company from time to time."

"_He's a very kind man," _I thought, "_much different than the ones that I'm used to_. _Maybe I can trust him to keep my story a secret."_

As he turned to leave, I had finally decided to answer his questions that I was able to answer earlier.

"Wait, Mr. Albert? I forgot to answer your questions earlier."

He turned around, grabbed a chair form the desk, and sat down near the bed, "Have you finally the courage? Very well, I'm all ears."

I told him everything. My name, my life, may age, my weapons, my ability, and the Kamino Research Facility. I even explained my clothing and escape.

"Unbelievable," he said, "I never knew that they capable of being so inhumane. If I were you, I would have escaped too. Nobody deserves to experience such torture, especially children. Well, I'm pretty sure the facility is quite a ways from here, so you don't have to worry about being caught anytime soon. Anyway, I'm sure you're still pretty tired from sleeping on the streets. Get the rest you deserve young man."

"Thank you, Mr. Albert." I said, falling asleep once again.

He nodded and turned to leave once more.

* * *

(3 years later)

I soon grew accustomed to the ways of society, and learned many things. Many I kept to heart and wrote down in a notebook given to me from Mr. Albert:

_When your body is dirty, you take a shower._

_A proper greeting is a friendly "Good Morning" or "Hello", and you say "Goodnight" or "Sweet Dreams" when somebody is about to sleep. Handshakes are symbols of companionship and friendship._

_Not everybody is like those who were in the facility._

_The money currency is called "Lien" which is used to buy items from markets._

_In the forests, creatures of the Grimm still lurk around._

_Dust is often used for different purposes, especially defense against the Grimm, although I don't require use of any to fight._

_Mr. Albert is a dust seller, which explains all the crystals and other things in his shop._

_Street lights are used to keep vehicles in moving order._

_The kingdom in which I'm currently living in is called Vale, and there are three more kingdoms._

_Vytal is the name of the continent that we're living in._

_People have names, not numbers._

I also learned about groups and crimes in society such as the White Fang, a once peaceful group of faunus now resorting to violence to fight for equality among humans, and Roman Torchwick, a notorious criminal famous for stealing dust. I often found civilian clothes such as shirts, jeans, and shorts rather comfortable, and Mr. Albert provided all of the things I needed for survival like food, clothes, water, and even a job at his dust shop to earn some money. One morning, Mr. Albert called me out of the shop to take a walk with him.

"Ah, good morning young man." He said.

"To you as well." I replied.

"Come, let's head to the docks. I heard that a boat filled with the dust I ordered is scheduled to arrive today."

As we headed north near the docks, I couldn't help but look around at the town. There were people everywhere laughing, gossiping, drinking, and having fun. In the middle of a gossip group, I caught sight of a girl who looked rather cute. I wanted to get a better look, but Mr. Albert quickly poked my face with his cane.

"Ouch!"

"Don't stare, it's embarrassing and rude." He said with a stern face.

"Ah, sorry. It's just that I'm still getting used to the free environment here. It's amazing to me how people are so free and lively, I feel as if I could walk these streets for days and still not be bored here."

"Hmmm… I understand how you feel, I used to be like that too. Nowadays, I prefer a more calm and peaceful environment. Oh, I forgot! We need to give you a proper name, people identified with numbers will probably be regarded as prisoners here, or maybe inhuman."

"Well, what shall my name be?" I asked.

"Can I see your tattoo for a moment?"

I showed him my arm with the tattoo. He stared at it for a while and mumbled something inaudible before coming to a decision. "Xanh…That will be your name."

"It shall be my name, then." I said. Xanh, huh? I guess it's better than being called "Three" or "BLU".

As we walked, I saw stores that sold many different kinds of things such as books, weapon parts, food, and drinks. I myself happened to be fond of romance novels and adventure, such as books in the Jack Percival series, and _Romelia and Julio. Ninjas of Love _might have been a favorite of mine too, but… the contents were just too much…

"Ah, we've arrived."

I looked ahead and saw three huge boats full of square boxes docked. Each boat had a symbol of a snowflake on it.

"The Schnee Dust Company, always the ones with the perfect dust."

"Schnee Dust Company?" I asked.

"Yes, they're most famous for manufacturing dust, which is often used for defense against the Grimm. In fact, they're one of the largest Dust manufacturers out there. The workers are quite business-minded, however, especially Kalte Schnee, the owner of the company, so I do not really converse with them often, although I hear that the heirees of the company, Kalte's daughter, has quite the personality. Anyway, I sell their Dust at my shop, it's how I make a living. Pick those boxes up for me, will you?"

I picked up two huge boxes full of Dust and proceeded to walk back to the shop with Mr. Albert. On the way back, however, I saw two adults attacking an old man.

"Hey, this is all your fault. We're just doing our job. It's what you get for not paying back the loans!" the attackers said.

The man being attacked tried to shield himself by covering his arms over his head. "Please, just give me one more chance! I promise I'll pay you back in full!"

"SHUT UP OLD MAN, WE'VE GIVEN YOU TOO MANY!"

I couldn't believe my eyes. How could those adults just attack a frail old man who clearly has no strength to defend himself? I can't just stand here and watch the old man be beaten!

"Is something troubling you, Xanh?" I turned around and saw Mr. Albert walking behind me.

"Yes, why are those men beating up someone defenseless? He might die if they continue."

"Hmmm… Judging from their conversation, it seems like he failed to pay back the money that he borrowed, but I agree that this is just too much. You can go ahead if you want to deal with those men. I'll carry the Dust boxes and meet you back at the shop."

After hearing this, I immediately rushed to the men and grabbed both of their heads and slammed them to the ground.

As they got up, I saw that their faces were now bloody. "HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR, YOU BRAT?!" they asked.

"I'm pretty sure that's what the old man you're beating up should have said to you two long ago." I replied.

They now got closer and moved in to attack me, "HEY! IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, NOW GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

I easily dodged all of their attacks, as it looked like they were moving in slow motion. Using the hand-to-hand combat skills I was taught at the facility, I easily knocked them out in a matter of seconds. I soon saw the old man getting up after the fight. He was bruised, but he didn't look half as bad as the two adults that I dealt with.

"It's all right now, they won't be getting up anytime soon. You can run along now." I said.

"Thank you sonny, I'm sorry for troubling you." With that, he slowly walked away. Just as I was about to head back to the shop, I heard a chuckle behind me. I turned around and saw a tall man walking towards me. He had white hair, and was holding a cane in one hand, and a coffee mug in another.

"Bravo, young man. Forgive me, but I couldn't help but witness you fending off the two adults earlier, and I must say that your combat skills are quite extraordinary." He said.

"Um...who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Professor Ozpin, and I'm the headmaster at Beacon Academy, a school for training huntsmen and huntresses. Tell me young man…would you like to enroll in my school and become a huntsman?"

"A huntsman? I'm sorry, but I'm unfamiliar with that term."

"A huntsman is somebody who fights against creatures such as Grimm and becomes a sword and shield to those who cannot protect themselves and uphold the peace of the world." Professor Ozpin then handed me a sealed envelope. "Here's the acceptance letter to my academy, you'll need to keep it if you want to be accepted. If you don't want to enroll, then you can do whatever you want with it." With this, he started to walk away. I looked at the envelope, thinking about what to do. Becoming a huntsman doesn't seem like a bad idea, but what if I'm still not ready? What if I drop out because I'm too weak? What if I fail to uphold peace for the people I've sworn to protect? Somehow, I knew that there were dangers awaiting me in the future if I accepted, and I knew I had to be prepared for it.

"Professor Ozpin?" I asked.

Immediately, he turned around, "Yes? What is it?"

"How long can this wait?"

"Hmm…well it depends. How long do you plan on making me wait?" he asked.

"Give me three-no...two years. I think I'll be ready in two years." I said.

"Alright then, I'll expect to see you in two years. Oh and one more thing, I didn't get your name. Do you mind telling me your name, young man?"

"It's Xanh, Professor."

"Alright Xanh, I'll be waiting."

"Thank you, Professor," I slowly moved my hand forward for a shake, "is…is this how you do it?" I asked. He took my hand and shook it two times.

"Yes it is." He said, and with that, he walked away. I ran back to the shop and saw that Mr. Albert had already started arranging the Dust crystals inside his shop.

"What took you so long, Xanh? Did you get lost on your way back again?"

I explained to him everything that happened, both Professor Ozpin and the letter.

"I see, you want to become a huntsman to uphold peace for the world. Although I have never been a huntsman before, I can tell that this is no easy task, and since I'm not your father, I can't stop you from making your own decisions. Do you know when you're leaving?" he asked.

"I told him to give me two years to get ready. Right now, I don't feel as if I'm ready to protect anything yet, so I want to train as much as I can." I replied.

"I see. Alright then, since I've nothing to do right now, how about I help you prepare?"

…

So I trained, and trained and trained. I practiced using my lightsabers while wielding one saber and dual wielding too, I even created some attacking combinations for myself. I also practiced using my ability, and found out that I could do much more than levitation and electricity; I could thrust my palm forward to create a shockwave strong enough to create holes in buildings, I channel power to my feet to make quick dashes on the ground and even through mid-air, and by forming my hand into a fist while levitating my target, I can crush objects and also even choke people…one of which I found out by having Mr. Albert, much to my disbelief, volunteered himself to be a target. I similarly discovered the fact that my abilities have their limits, as I found myself lifting tall trees easily, but not being able to budge a building as they were too tall and heavy. Using my ability, I was able to dismantle my lightsaber and study its parts. The most important part was the crystal, which was used project the blade; by studying its parts, I was able to create a spare lightsaber hilt of my own using pieces of scrap metal that I found on the streets, and I even grabbed some spare strands of and black and white cloth and wrapped it around each of my hilts to make them look like samurai sword hilts (kind of like Rahm Kota's hilt). Heeding Mr. Albert's words, I limited my ability uses as he said that I might, "…even use it to put on my clothes…", so I started to focus more on things more physical like hand-to-hand combat, parkour, and freerunning. I didn't just stop there though, I also trained myself in the knowledge areas such as Grimm studies, and the great wars between faunus and humans, and what advantages the faunus had over the humans that helped them win many symbolic victories in the war.

* * *

(Two years later)

"It seems like it's almost time for the new semester to start…" Mr. Albert said.

"So it seems… and I feel ready now. The new semester starts in a month, and I don't feel so nervous anymore. It looks like all these years of training were worth it." I said.

Mr. Albert got out of his chair and walked towards the back of his shop. "Hold on, I have something for you…" When he came back, I saw that he was holding a large wooden box, one that looked like it contained dust. "Open it and see what's inside." He said.

As I removed the top of the box, I saw a white garments, black T-shirts, pairs of black combat pants, pairs of black combat boots, and three diamond-shaped crystals: one blue, one green, and one purple. I was absolutely speechless.

"Th-these are…"

"They're your combat uniform, and weapon crystals. These crystals that I found aren't really made from Dust, so they have little to no value in my shop, and seeing the crystals in your weapon, I figured that I might give them to you. I remember that you often told me you weren't particularly fond of the color red, so these should do nicely. Anyway, try on your new combat uniform; I had it specifically made for you."

I dressed up in my combat uniform, which was almost identical to the one I wore while still in the facility, but there were some subtle differences; the black T-Shirt had a long sleeve for the right arm, and the words **K.R.F **were not on the white over-garment. It looked magnificent; I honestly thought that it made me look like a huntsman already.

"Wow, I think it looks absolutely amazing."

"Hmm… I must say that it strikes quite an image. I specifically wanted a long sleeve on the right side of the T-Shirt to cover up the tattoo on your arm."

"Mr. Albert…I…I cannot thank you enough."

"Oh, don't mention it. Let's just save it for until the day the new semester starts. In the mean time, why don't you exchange the crystals in your lightsaber, and get a haircut after you're done, your hair is just too long now."

* * *

(30 days later)

"I can't thank you enough, Mr. Albert; you've done so much for a stranger like me."

"Oh, don't mention it, Xanh. I only did what any kind-hearted person in this world would've done. You run along now, the plane is about to depart."

I grabbed all of my things and walked into the plane, looking back one more time to wave at Mr. Albert. He waved back.

* * *

(Present)

Here I am now, seventeen years old, with a "Gruff and Tough" haircut, as the barber said, and waiting for my arrival at the academy.

"_I wonder what challenges are waiting for me and what kinds of people will I meet…_" I thought.

Well, only one way to find out.


	2. Beacon and Initiation

**(A/N) Chapter 2! One thing to note is that I rewrote some important parts of chapter one, especially my OC's name, so I encourage you to reread it. Other than that, please enjoy, and leave some opinions! You can be harsh if you want, it'll help me become a better writer.**

* * *

"Urp….blehh…blaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgh!" As I got off the plane, I noticed a golden-haired boy wearing jeans and armor around his black sweatshirt looking about my age make a dash to the trash can.

"BLEEEEEHHHHHHHH! Ugh…Eughhhhhhhh…"

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, as I came over to him and patted his back.

"Ugh…yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking. I just have motion sickness." He replied, wiping his mouth.

"Motion sickness? What kind of sickness is that?" I asked. He looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Uhh…you're kidding, right? You know, it's a sickness that makes you wanna barf when you're moving on car or something. Well, something like that, I'm not really good at explaining this kind of stuff!" he said.

"Ah, sorry. It seems like I still have much to learn about these things in society, despite learning for six years."

"Uhhh…what? Whaddya mean you've been learning for six years?"

"Actually…," Before I could explain, a thought struck me. "_Wait. Maybe I shouldn't tell him about it. He might not understand what I'm saying, and I could raise the possibility of getting myself caught and returned to that…prison again…"_

While deep in thought, I saw a hand being waved over my face.

"Helloooooooooo? You still there? Actually, what? You never finished your sentence." the boy said.

"Oh! I'm sorry about that. N-Nevermind, I forgot what I was about to say." I said.

"You know… you're kind of weird, b-but that's okay! I-It's okay to be weird sometimes!"

"My apologies, I don't seem to be very good at talking to people. By the way, what's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Jaune Arc. What's yours?" He replied, holding out his hand.

"My name is Xanh." I said, shaking it two times as Professor Ozpin showed me.

"Nice to meetcha, Xanh. Anyway, I gotta find the main building, I don't wanna get lost!" Before I could say anything, he ran off waving good-bye to me. With that, me and Jaune parted ways.

"_Well, he wasn't the type of person I expected to meet first, but it's a good start at knowing some people I guess…" _I thought. As I walked down the long, wide pathway, I noticed that it pointed towards a huge building that resembled a castle about a mile away and the avenue was decorated with fancy light poles and there were beautiful trees along with wide grassland and gardens on the campus. To say that this academy looked beautiful would seem to be too much of an understatement. As I looked ahead, I noticed a girl wearing a red cape twirling around, until her whole body stared to lean back.

"_Uh-oh, it looks like she might fall over!" _ I thought. In an instant I ran over to her as fast as I could, while disregarding the several briefcases I accidentally kicked. In an instant, I grabbed her arms to stop her fall. It seemed to be just in time too, as her head was just inches away from the ground. "Whoa, there! Are you alright? You almost hit the ground!" I said.

"Th-Thanks," she said, "s-sorry, my sister kinda left me here alone and I umm… kinda have no idea where to go now."

"Oh, is that right?" I looked at her and noticed that she had silvery eyes and was wearing a black blouse under her cape and had a hint of red color in her short hair. She also was short in stature and especially looked younger than all of the other students that I saw on the plane earlier. I pointed north in my direction. "Well, if you asked me, I'd suggest you keep following this road here. I think you should head to the huge building ahead of us. That's where I'm going.

She giggled, "Thanks! By the way, what's your name? I'm Ruby Rose."

"I'm Xanh."

"Xanh…"

"Hm?"

"What's your last name?" she asked.

"Last name? I…actually, I don't have one. I just have a first name. I've never thought of having a last name before." I replied.

"Wwwwwhhhhhhhhaaaaaaat? How can you not have a last name? Do you know any of your parents' or siblings' last names? If you do, they should be yours!"

"I don't have any parents or siblings…"

In that instant, a look of shock covered her face while she covered her mouth with her hands. One second later, she immediately started to rapidly bow down multiple times. "Oh! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! I didn't know! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll do anything to make it up to you!" she said.

I just smiled. "Oh, it's alright. Of course you didn't know, as I didn't even tell you anything about myself yet."

Ruby immediately looked up. "So…you're not mad or anything?" she asked.

"Of course not," I replied, "I don't even have a good reason for being so."

In an instant, her face lightened up, and she started pumping her fists in the air. "Yay! He isn't angry!"

"Haha. Oh! Shouldn't you try to find your sister? You should probably start heading in the direction in which she left you."

"Oh! Y-you're right! Um…Thanks, catch you later, Xanh!" With that, she rushed ahead with blinding speed, leaving a little trail of roses behind.

"_Well, here's another person. She's pretty nice, but can get pretty jumpy. Oh well, there's nothing wrong with that. However…_ '_catch you later'? What does that term mean?_" I thought. "Argh, I still have so much to learn about the society…especially the speech. 'Whaddya', 'wanna'? Why do such terms exist?" I asked myself. Little did I know that there was someone who wasn't really in a good mood wanting to have a chat with me.

"YOU!" I heard a girlish voice shout.

"Waaahhhh!" I turned around and saw a blue-eyed girl with an off-centered ponytail hairstyle wearing clothes of the same color. Her boots, bolero jacket, and skirt were all pale-blue, with the exception of the inside of her jacket being red, similar to Ruby's cloak. She also had a vertical scar across her left eye.

"You have some explaining to do!" she said, pointing her finger right in front of my face.

"I…I'm sorry, but I don't understand. What do I have to explain?"

She scoffed, '"What do I have to explain'!? You mean you don't plan on explaining on why you kicked my briefcases just to save some little girl from FALLING TO THE GROUND!?" She then pointed to her briefcases.

At first, I didn't really know what she was talking about, but then I remembered. "_The briefcases I accidentally kicked to stop Ruby from falling!" _I thought."Ah! I'm sorry! I wasn't really paying attention!" "_What should I do?"_ I thought, "_This girl looks like she might kill me_ _if I don't offer some sort of explanation for my actions!_ _Wait! What did Mr. Albert say? What is the proper way to apologize?"_

'"_Remember Aaron, when trying to apologize, one good way is to bow down and say that you're sorry. Doing it the other way is okay too. What's important is that you're honest about it and promise to avoid letting the incident happen again."'_

Heeding Mr. Albert's words, I moved my upper body down to form a ninety-degree angle. "I'm sorry for making your day inconvenient! If there's anything I can do, I'll gladly do so, to make it up to you." I said.

She crosses her arms, "Hmph! Fine, lift up your head. Before I issue a command to you, let me ask you something. Do you even know who I am? Nobody would dare speak to me in the manner that you just did!"

"I-I'm uhh…afraid I don't…" I realized that my honesty would only be my doom.

"What!? How can you not know me?! Have you been living under a rock or a prison or something?!" She was yelling so loud, I could feel my ears vibrating. I clasped my hands over my ears. Was it such a crime to not know one person is? Considering how much people are living in this world? Even if she was someone famous, nobody told me about her before, so how could I know? After she stopped yelling and was out of breath, I finally spoke up.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry for not knowing who you are, and since I don't, why don't you tell me then? Are you a princess? A queen? Who?"

"She's an heiress, actually." I looked to my left, as did the girl, and saw a girl wearing black, white and a hint of purple in her stockings.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." She said.

"_Weiss Schnee? Who…It can't be! She's Kalte Schnee's daughter?! It's unbelievable! I thought that people from the Schnee Dust Company were just business-minded…Mister Albert was right when he said that she had quite the attitude…"_ I thought.

Weiss' face formed a smile. "Finally, some recognition!"

The girl in black wasn't finished, however. "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces, and questionable business partners." She said.

Immediately, Weiss snapped at the girl, "What!? How dare-! The nerve of …ugh!" Weiss then turned and walked away, leaving me and the girl in black alone. For a moment there was silence, until I decided to thank the girl.

"Thank you," I said, "I'm in your debt. I honestly don't know what would've happened to me if you didn't say anything. By the way, I don't think we've met before, I'm Xanh, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nothing really, I was just stating a fact. Anyway, I'm Blake." With that, she walked off. I sighed.

"_A hot-headed heiress, a boy with motion sickness, a jumpy girl, and a mystery girl…what a way to start off meeting new people…" _I thought. I shook my head multiple times, "_No, I shouldn't be so negative about this. Ruby and Jaune seem to be nice people, and they are only two out of the many people here. Things will get better. I hope…"_

After a couple minutes, I walked into what looked like the academy's auditorium. I honestly didn't really know where I was supposed to be, but there were a lot of students inside the building I arrived, so I guessed that all students were supposed to meet here. Out of the corer of my eye, I saw Ruby and Jaune walk into the auditorium.

"Ruby! Jaune!" I called. They both ran up to me. "I see you two are already acquainted."

"Yup," Ruby said, "it wasn't long ago either. We both kinda got lost."

"Oh, is that right?" I asked, "So how did you get lost, Jaune? I though you knew where you were going."

"Y-yeah, uh…about that. I was kinda rushing, and didn't really know where I was going, s-so…" Before he could continue, a yellow haired girl came running towards us.

"Hey, Ruby! You finally made it! Over here, I saved you a spot! Anyway, who are these people, your friends?" she asked.

"Yup! I met these two when you…LEFT ME!" Ruby replied. "How could you just leave me like that?! I thought I was gonna walk around the whole campus not even being able to find you! What if I got so lost that Professor Ozpin rejected me from the academy, and I'll be the laughing stock of the whole school?!"

The girl with yellow hair hugged Ruby. "Now now sis, aren't you overreacting a bit? There's no way that I could let that happen! If it does, I'll destroy whoever dares to laugh at my little sister!"

"Okayyyyyy…please stop…you're crushing me…"

"Oops! Sorry, hehe…anyway, who are these two?"

"Oh yeah! Sis, meet Xanh, and Jaune! These are the two people I first met when you…left me."

Ruby's sister then turned to Jaune and I and offered her hand. "Hey guys! I'm Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's older sister!"

"Hello Yang, it's very nice to meet you, my name is Xanh." I said, as I shook her hand.

"I-I'm Jaune…"

"Hey Jaune, aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?" Yang asked.

"Yup, but he told me that he had motion sickness though." Ruby replied.

"Oh, pshhhhh…That's just an excuse, probably. He was probably super nervous."

"H-hey! I'm n-not nervous! Motion sickness is actually a more common problem than people let on! It's a big deal, you know!" Jaune said.

Yang didn't really seem to be believing it. "Mmmmmhhhhhhmmmmmmm…whatever, Vomit Boy."

"V-Vomit Boy?" Jaune asked.

Ruby punched her sister's shoulder. "Yang! That's rude!"

Okay, okay, sorry Jaune." Yang said.

Jaune just rubbed the backside of his head. "I-it's okay."

I smiled. "_Everyone here gets along with each other_._ Ruby, Jaune, and Yang seem to have already become friends. I wonder…will I ever get to be like them? Even with my background…it seems like only time will tell." _I thought. As I looked upon the stage, I noticed Professor Ozpin making his way to the stage. "Everyone," I said, "you all best quiet down. I think Professor Ozpin is about to make a speech."

Slowly, Professor Ozpin adjusted his circular-framed glasses. "Ahem…I'll…keep this brief. You have traveled here today I search of knowledge. To hold your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. A need of purpose…direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge will only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." With that, he slowly walked away. After that, a woman, whom I recognized as Glynda Goodwitch from the plane taking students to Beacon, made her way to the microphone.

"You will gather in the bottom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." She said.

A couple seconds passed before Yang finally decided to break the silence. "He seemed kind of…off."

"It's almost like he wasn't even there…" Ruby said.

"Hm…perhaps...it was because he didn't have a cup of coffee with him?" I asked.

"Oh please, Xanh," Jaune said, "What can a moment without one cup of coffee do to you?"

"A lot, actually. I remember the owner of the dust shop I once worked for didn't even talk or work for the whole day. It was only after he bought some coffee beans and yelled at me, telling me to make some coffee for him. After that, he was back to his normal, calm self." I said.

"Oh please, aren't you overthinking things?" Yang asked, "One cup of coffee can't POSSIBLY affect you that much can it? It seems like you don't know that much about coffee, Xanh."

"I guess you're right…" I said. "_Well, I don't know_ _much about how the people in society like drinking coffee anyway. How can people even handle drinking something so bitter?"_ I thought to myself.

Throughout the day, Glynda Goodwitch guided all of the first-year students around the school. The cafeteria, the gymnasium, the combat stage, and classrooms. After that, she assigned each of the students a rocket-propelled locker with a six-digit code for the use of storing weapons and extra armor. By the time we were familiar with the school, it was already dark and time to go to sleep. All first years had to sleep in the hall. It was lucky that Mr. Albert reminded me to bring some comfortable civilian clothing, otherwise, I'd be sleeping in my uniform. I removed all parts of my uniform and changed into a black T-shirt and blue knee-covering polyester shorts from my backpack. Then, I set up my sleeping back and laid down.

"*Huuuuuuuuuffffffffffff* What a day…" I said, as I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. A couple minutes passed, but I just couldn't find myself being able to rest, so I gave up on trying to sleep. Looking around, I saw that nobody was really able to sleep either, possibly due to being anxious about initiation tomorrow.

"Well, I can't sleep, so I might as well meditate…" I put myself in a sitting position, cross-legged, closed my eyes, and slowly started to relax. However, I just couldn't bring myself to focus. The distinct conversations, the laughing, it was just all too distracting. Finally, I stopped trying to meditate, laid down again, and finally found myself drifting off…

"OH, NOT YOU AGAIN!" I jolted up. Looking to my right, I saw Yang and Weiss arguing with Ruby in between the two of them while Blake was silently reading a book, paying no mind to them.

"_*Huff*…I might regret this, but if I don't stop them now, I might not be able to get a wink of sleep…"_ I thought, as I walked toward them. Yang put her face in front of Weiss'

"What's your problem with my sister!? She's only trying to be nice!" Yang said.

"She's a hazard to my health!" Replied Weiss.

"Now now, you two, what's going on here? What is with all this screaming?" I asked, as I walked in between them.

"That's none of your business, and you still owe me for knocking over my briefcases! You said that you'd make it up to me right?!" Weiss yelled.

"_Oh no! I forgot about that incident! Ugh…why now?_"

Just as I was about to speak, Blake blew out the candle, extinguishing all light and creating silence within the hall. Taking advantage of the silence, I slowly made my way back into my sleeping bag.

"_I KNEW I was going to regret this decision! Blast! Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut?!" _I thought, "_Now, I've made matters worse for myself!"_

* * *

I don't think I've slept comfortably at all that night. Thoughts of what Weiss Schnee would make me do kept plaguing my mind.

"_No, I shouldn't worry about it now, I need sleep. Wait…what if she makes me do something embarrassing!? No, no, she wouldn't do that would she? If she did…argh!" _It was like a never-ending cycle.

Hours and hours of scary thoughts kept me awake the whole night. The next day I had to rub my face using extremely cold water to widen my eyes so I could see clearly. However, even that wasn't enough to keep me awake, so I piled syrup all over my pancakes, which managed to get me energized but also gave me weird looks and inaudible whispers from other first-year students in return. After breakfast, I made my way to my locker, number 378 and suited up for initiation. I put on my white garment, combat pants and boots, and armed myself with my lightsabers. While suiting up, I pondered about whom I would be teamed up with for initiation. After all, Ms. Goodwitch did say that students were to be assigned to teams.

"_There's Ruby," _I thought, "_There's also Jaune, but what if both of them are already in a team? No, I should just do what I'm supposed to do…worrying will only cause more stress. If I'm paired with an unfamiliar person, then so be it…" _Before I could get up to leave, I was interrupted by the arrival of a pair of sisters.

"Hey Xanh, have you thought about who you'd want to be on a team with?" said the yellow-haired one of the two.

"Not really, no. I have ultimately decided to just let things happen, and accept whoever becomes my partner, regardless of if I know that person or not. What about you, Yang? Do you already have a partner in mind?" I asked.

"Yup! Ruby and I have already become partners with each other! We are sisters after all."

"Oh? Well that's good. It must be pretty nice to be partners with someone you are close to, especially a sibling."

Ruby then wrapped her arms around Yang, "Of course! We're sisters, and nothing is ever going to break us apart, right Yang?"

"Right!"

Before we could say anything more, the moment of conversation was interrupted by the school microphone. "Will all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first year students to Beacon Cliff immediately." With that, the pair of sisters dashed off, but not before helping a confused Jaune walk out of the locker.

"Well, may the best of luck be with you all," I said, as headed to the exit of the locker, "Let us all work hard, no matter which team we're in and whatever hardships bestow themselves on us."

The rest of the students all nodded their heads in agreement, responding with "And also with you,", "You too,", or a "Likewise." Only a girl wearing all white scoffed and said nothing more.

* * *

When everyone reached Beacon Cliff, Professor Ozpin along with Ms. Goodwitch instructed everyone to stand on one of the square stone panels on the ground.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors." Professor Ozpin said, this time with his cup of coffee. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Ms. Goodwitch continued, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…today." From the side of my ear, I several whimpers from Ruby. This time, Professor Ozpin did the talking.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well with. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." This time, instead of whimpering, Ruby now made her "WHAT!?" audible to everyone.

"_I see, so from here on out, everyone is on equal grounds. Fair enough_." I thought.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" In an instant, Jaune raised his hand.

"Yeah, um…sir?" However, his question only seemed to fall onto deaf ears.

"Good! Now, take your positions." With that, I got into my battle stance, and grabbed my lightsaber hilts. Looking to my right, I saw that Jaune still had his hand raised.

"Um, sir?" At that moment, the stone panels started launching the students, and before I knew it, the panel I was standing on launched me high.

"_All right then, let's go!"_ I performed some front flips to gain momentum and I grabbed on one of the branches and used the momentum I gained to swing onto others. After several branches, I finally landed on one thick enough to support my weight and tried to scale the area, seeing nothing but plants and dirt.

"_It's so silent, it's almost frightening…It's like something or someone might come up out of nowhere… _" Seeing no branches close enough for me to jump onto, I jumped down from mine and started to walk.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I looked up and saw Jaune flailing wildly. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ah, poor Jaune. He must not have been prepared for this at all." I said. Before He could escape my sight, some kind of halberd connected with part of his jacket possibly threw him to a tree. After a while, I finally heard him say a "Thank You!" out loud.

"Well, at least he's okay. Now to hurry and find my partner." I sprinted forward, looking for anyone in the forest. All of a sudden, I heard a rustling noise from a bush near me. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" I backhandedly drew my first lightsaber out of the three I had, and it projected a bright blue blade while making a light, humming noise. Slowly, a sleek, tall black creature standing on two hind legs with a white mask along with bones sticking out of its humanoid body and blood-red, pupil-less eyes emerged from the bush and gave out a loud roar, revealing several sharp teeth. A beowolf. Suddenly, it lunged forward slow enough to barely give me any time roll out of the way. Using the opportunity, I dashed forward until I was right in front of it and performed a horizontal slash with my lightsaber, successfully separating its upper-body from its lower-body. "Well, that was easy. It seems like the years of brutal training have their benefits somewhat…" I said. Continuing from my sprint, I kept my head down to avoid making eye-contact with another student, just in case they already had a partner or happened to be looking for someone else and found me an unsuitable partner, although I hope the latter never happens. Suddenly, I saw a pair white boots in front of me and immediately stopped my sprint.

"_Should I, or should I not?"_ I thought. Seeing as how the pair white boots in front of me didn't move, I slowly raised my head and made eye-contact with the person in front of me. She had such cold blue eyes. "_Oooooohhhhh no…what have I gotten myself into?!_"


End file.
